Bright Kit Tweeter Mod
Bright Kit Tweeter Mod for Suitcase.
If you have spent any time looking at these keyboards on eBay, you may have noticed that the slider-version Suitcase models often have their treble slider pushed all the way to the right, that is, all the way up (this pic from eBay on 12 Sept 06):
On September 27, 2006:
Another from eBay:
Yet another (are you tired yet?):
And the original eBay pic for the Suitcase I currently own:
The speakers in the Suitcase cabinets are 12" and have to accommodate all frequencies. Although they undeniably have shaped the sound of the Suitcase models, many people find they need more mids and especially highs, otherwise you would not see so many with the treble sliders pushed up.
When Speakeasy introduced their tweeter kit,
I was very interested but apprehensive about altering my original speaker system. But that is essentially what one is doing anyway with EQ, whether onboard or outboard, so I emailed a couple of people who had installed it and decided to do so as well.
Having done so, I would now never go back. The effect is quite noticeable but also a bit difficult to describe. Brian Corey, I think, put it best in a post to the Yahoo tech group when he said that "It gives the highs some place to go in an unprocessed way."
I would say that it accommodates the highs (and some mids) in a more natural way than does pushing up the treble slider, which is really only a volume boost. The net effect is cleaner and more pronounced highs and also considerably more headroom. I keep my treble slider at the mid (or zero) point now; there is no need to push it up. Also, I had to back off the pickups from the treble a bit because I was getting better frequency response with the tweeters.
I am extremely satisfied with the effect these things have on the sound. At first I was worried and tried to figure out a way to insert a bypass switch so I could go back to the original, non-tweeter speaker system, but after hearing the results, I forgot about that.
The tweeters themselves are essentially the same as you can get from Radio Shack except that Speakeasy has gone to the trouble to add resistors to the two that are installed on the audience side of the speaker cabinet (to balance the load, according to Steve Hayes) and have also included all the wiring and hardware.
I replaced Speakeasy's silver bolts and washers with black ones
so they would not be visible through the speaker grill. One can barely see the tweeters now through the grill. But that was purely an aesthetic consideration.
Installation is fairly simple, though I do think Speakeasy's instructions could use a bit of editing. Perhaps later I will include my version of the installation instructions.
The only physical change to the cabinet is the 3" holes one must drill to accomodate the tweeters themselves and the holes for the bolts (4 per tweeter).
In the following pic you can see the white resistor which Speakeasy has installed:
Wiring is also fairly simple using the diagram Speakeasy includes with the instructions. Really, anyone can install these things. Speakeasy has done most of the wiring for you.
I used vinyl ties inside the speaker cabinet to bundle the excess wiring from each tweeter.
Before Installation:
After installation:
Although the wiring looks a bit intimidating in the pictures, it is very straightforward and simple: one essentially just splices the tweeter wiring into the existing speaker wiring.
Factory speaker wiring is black and white and extends through the clips; tweeter wiring (coming into the pic from the left) is black and gray and does not extend through the clips.
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If you are interested in purchasing the components for this mod independently in order to assemble it yourself (and if you are interested in understanding some of the principles and variables involved in how it works), check out the excellent explanation and pictures at http://tinyurl.com/2hecrz
Many thanks to Rob. A.
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